


Welcome to the Inner Circle (or: Peter Gets the Talk)

by Sally0



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Embarrassed Peter Parker, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Parent Tony Stark, Precious Peter Parker, Sex Positive, The Talk, safe sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 07:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16572566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sally0/pseuds/Sally0
Summary: Peter had unprotected sex and needs to get tested, but doesn’t know what to do, so he powers through his embarrassment and goes to Tony for advice. He learns a lot about his mentor and receives slightly more advice than he was hoping for.





	Welcome to the Inner Circle (or: Peter Gets the Talk)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic features a frank, sex-positive discussion about STIs (a.k.a. STDs) and safe sex. Open-minded, sensible Iron Dad Tony is my headcanon. Also, if you hate the idea of one of our boys living with an STI, consider bypassing this story. (But I hope you won't!)
> 
> Thank you to the talented [Livinei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livinei/pseuds/Livinei) for beta reading this and helping me get the characterizations, especially Tony's voice, right.

Tony and Peter are about halfway through the movie when Peter takes a deep breath like he wants to say something, then lets it out with a puff of his cheeks and says nothing. Tony pretends not to notice. But then ten minutes later, it happens again. And again five minutes after that.

 

“What’s eating you, kid?”

 

Peter squirms slightly under his mentor’s gaze. “I-I don’t really want to talk about it.”

 

 _Sure, that’s why you’ve been on the verge of saying it for the past fifteen minutes, huh?_ “You’re a terrible liar, Pete.”

 

Peter blushes and looks away, but doesn’t reply.

 

“Pause the movie, Fri.” Tony shifts to face the kid, who still can’t meet his eye. “You know you can tell me anything, right? Like, _anything._ ”

 

Peter nods slightly.

 

“Good. No pressure though. But anytime you wanna chat, I’m here, alright?”

 

“OK. Thanks.” It’s almost a whisper.

 

Tony doesn’t want to put the kid on the spot any longer. He’s confident Peter will talk to him about whatever’s bothering him when he’s ready. He resumes the movie, but after it ends, Peter hastily leaves the room to finish his homework, even though it’s Saturday night. Tony heads to the lab for some tinkering before bed, hoping the kid will come around soon.

 

An hour and a half later, Tony is sitting up in bed in his flannel Spider-Man pyjamas, sending emails on his StarkPad, when he hears a shy knock at his door.

 

 _‘Bout time_.

 

“It’s open.”

 

The door opens silently and Peter pokes his head in. Poor kid, he looks terrified. “C-Can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

“I…are you sure? You look busy. I can come back.”

 

Tony waves him over and puts down his StarkPad. Peter enters, closing the door behind him, and makes his way to Tony’s bed. He sits cross-legged at the very end of the bed, as far as possible from Tony. He makes no move to speak or to even look at his mentor.

 

“What’s on your mind, kiddo?”

 

“Well…there’s, um, something I want to ask you. I just…don’t know how to say it. It’s pretty bad. But…I can’t go to my aunt about it.”

 

Tony puts on a mock-serious expression. “How bad are we talking here? Did you touch one of my cars? Murder someone?” He gasps and narrows his eyes. “Peter Parker, did you take an internship at Oscorp?”

 

Peter’s mouth twitches with a half-smile. “No.”

 

“Well, that takes care of the unforgivable stuff.” Tony waits, but when Peter still makes no move to speak, he adds, “I could keep guessing here, but it’ll probably be easier if you just tell me.”

 

Peter looks down at his hands and whispers, “I’m worried you’ll hate me.”

 

Tony pushes back his comforter and shuffles across the king-sized bed to sit in front of Peter. “Hey.” Peter reluctantly looks up. Tony gestures to his Spider-Man pyjamas. “Did you somehow miss these obnoxiously red Spidey pyjamas I’m wearing? How could I hate you when I’m clearly your number one fan? You’ve never seen me in _Cap’s_ merch, have you?” He holds up a hand. “And before you say it, that one time doesn’t count; I was drunk.” This elicits a slight smile from Peter. Tony continues: “Anyway, I could never hate you. And you know I’m not a judgy guy. That would be pretty hypocritical of me, piping hot mess that I am.” Peter looks at him, a tentative gleam of hope in his eyes. Tony gestures to the room at large and his voice goes soft. “Look around. It’s just us. No big deal.”

 

This finally brings Peter’s wall down. He takes a deep breath and nods, more to himself than to Tony. “OK. Well…I sort of – I mean, I started – dating someone. A couple months ago.”

 

Tony fake-gasps. “And this is the first I’m hearing about it? Actually on second thought, good call. I’d’ve probably razzed you endlessly.” He gives the kid a lopsided grin so he knows he’s joking. “So who’s the lucky girl? Or lucky guy,” he adds quickly. “We don’t discriminate here.”

 

“Girl. Her name is Molly.”

 

“And, is it getting serious?” He shoots Peter a pointed look.

 

Peter looks down and starts to stutter, and Tony takes that as a sign that his question is on the right track. He pushes forward, because if this is what the kid wants to talk about, Tony knows from experience that bluntness is best.

 

“Has sex entered the realm of possibility? Because I can definitely impart some words of wisdom in that department. Anything you want to ask, shoot.”

 

Peter spares a glance up at Tony but immediately looks back down at his hands. “A-Actually, Mr. Stark, we…we already…well. I mean…we sort of…did.” His face flushes as he speaks.

 

Tony is momentarily speechless. Peter? _His_ Peter? Sexually active already? Then he mentally slaps himself. _Don’t be so surprised. He’s sixteen, genius. You were younger than that your first time._

 

“Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to ask about. Well, um…not exactly, anyway.”

 

“Go on,” Tony prompts gently.

 

“Well, after we…y’know… _did_ …she, uh, broke up with me.”

 

Tony frowns sympathetically. “I’m sorry to hear that, bud.”

 

“That was a month ago. Then right after that, she started…well, I _thought_ she started…dating this other guy. James. He’s on the track team and really popular. Especially with girls. But then four days ago, she texted me. She said she’d actually been seeing James at the same time she was seeing me. A-and she…she s-said I should…I should…” he looks back down at his hands, “…get tested. I can’t _believe_ she cheated–”

 

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait a sec. You mean you didn’t use protection?” Tony’s tone is a bit sharper than he intended, but he can hardly believe what he just heard.

 

“I know. It’s bad. But it was kind of spur of the moment. And she _said_ she was a virgin!” Peter looks down and starts to stutter again, his embarrassment returning. “A-And, well–I mean, um, _I_ was one too, so I thought it would be safe…”

 

“Aw, kid. Seriously? Don’t they teach you this crap in school?” Tony is trying to keep the anger and disappointment out of his tone. After all, the kid is doing the responsible thing now by confiding in him. He doesn’t raise his voice, but he does need to hammer home the severity of the kid’s choices. “Jesus Pete, an infection is the least of your worries. You could’ve gotten her pregnant. I’m not gonna lie, that was…seriously irresponsible, kiddo.”

 

“I know. I know, I was stupid. But I was pretty sure she was on the pill.” Tony pinches the bridge of his nose at the words _pretty sure_ . “And…I _tried_ to buy c-condoms” (he barely manages to choke out the word) “as soon as we started dating. But stupid CVS keeps them in a locked cabinet so you have to _ask_ someone to take them out for you. I couldn’t do that! But, you’re right. It was irresponsible.”

 

“Yes, it was. And we’re gonna talk all about that in a minute. First thing’s first. Did you get tested?”

 

Peter shakes his head. “That’s what I need to ask you about. The only places I know that do testing are a couple health clinics in Queens. But the nurses in Queens, they _know_ each other. They do rotations between the hospitals and clinics. And, well, _May_ is a nurse. And I’ve met a bunch of her coworkers, too. Wh-what if one of them is working at the clinic the day I go? They might tell her!”

 

“They won’t. They’re under strict rules not to.”

 

“Even if I’m a minor?”

 

“Even if you’re a minor.”

 

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” He still doesn’t look convinced. “But – what if they tell her anyway? Even if that goes against the rules, the damage would be done. Or – what if someone I know sees me go into the clinic that day? Mr. Stark, I _can’t_ let May know about this.”

 

Tony holds up a hand. “No need to worry about that now. You did good coming to me with this. I’m an old pro at getting tested discreetly. I may or may not have been in the same boat as you once or twice. Or more. Definitely more. I’m sure this’ll come as no surprise to you, but there was a time when I was kinda well known for sleeping around.”

 

Peter smiles sheepishly. “I may have read something about that online, yeah.”

 

“Yeah. Well, that was then. It wasn’t a bad thing in itself, but I was pretty reckless about it. Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson. Anyway, I’ll shoot my personal physician a message. We’ll get you tested in the morning, and go from there.”

 

A pained expression crosses the kid’s face. “What’ll I do if I caught something, Mr. Stark? How will I look myself in the mirror? I’ll feel so… _dirty_ –”

 

“Whoa.” Tony holds a finger up to silence Peter, dead serious. “Uh-uh. Don’t say that. Wow, they really don’t teach you this stuff too well in school, do they?” Peter’s eyes have dropped to his hands again, so Tony puts a finger under his chin to tilt his face up. He looks intently at Peter, to make sure he’s paying full attention. “Listen to me, Pete. No matter what the test results are, it does _not_ make you ‘dirty’, alright? STIs aren’t some special category of illness that’s magically worse than all the others. They’re no dirtier than getting the flu, or an ear infection. Got it?”

 

“Yeah, I think so,” says Peter uncertainly. “But – what if it’s something incurable? That’s a whole different story. I mean, I can’t _imagine_ getting something like…like HIV!”

 

Tony has known for the past ten minutes that the conversation would lead here. And he’s already decided he’ll be completely honest with the kid.

 

_Here goes._

 

“I can.”

 

Peter’s eyes grow wide. “Wait. You…you mean– Hold on, what _do_ you mean?”

 

Tony shrugs and spreads his hands. Without a hint of shame, he says, “I’ve got HIV.”

 

Peter’s jaw drops in shock. “Oh my God. _Mr. Stark_ …I didn’t know. That– that’s horrible!” The kid is quickly working himself into a panic.

 

“Hey hey, relax. It’s not horrible. Not really. I _thought_ it was at first.” He huffs a laugh. “I felt like it was the end of the fucking world at first. But I got lucky; my doctor caught it early. That’s why it’s important to get tested, kid,” he adds, pointing a stern finger at the kid. “And treatment’s good these days. So you don’t need to worry about that. I’m gonna be around, annoying the hell out of you well into my nineties. Well,” he amends, “as long as this Avengers bullshit doesn’t kill me first. Or stress from worrying about your Spider-Man shenanigans.”

 

“Really?” Peter sounds unsure of whether his mentor is just saying that to comfort him.

 

“Really, kid. If you don’t believe me, ask my doctor in the morning.”

 

Relief floods Peter’s features and his body relaxes a little. He takes a breath as if to speak, but appears to think better of it, and lets it out in a sigh.

 

Tony makes a beckoning gesture. “It’s OK. Lay it on me. I don’t mind talking about it.”

 

“Um…do a lot of people know?”

 

“Not really. Just some people in my inner circle. They aren’t sworn to secrecy under pain of death or anything, but they keep it to themselves. I’m not exactly desperate to announce it to the press. It’s really nobody’s business except whom I choose to tell.”

 

“Oh. Well, thanks for telling me. And I won’t tell anyone either.”

 

“Welcome to the inner circle, kid,” Tony replies with a half-smile, and is warmed by the look of awe on the kid’s face.

 

“Wow. Thanks! And…thank you for all your help, really. I feel a _lot_ better about this whole mess. I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise.” He moves to stand up.

 

“Ah-ah! I’m not done helping you yet, Underoos. C’mere.” A slight smirk tugs at the corners of Tony’s mouth. He gets up and heads to his ensuite. Peter follows curiously.

 

Tony opens a drawer in the vanity and pulls out a brand new box of condoms to give to Peter. “Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty. If you run out, you have my permission to come in here for more. Though that’s a twenty-four pack so it’ll probably last you a while.”

 

Peter flushes a deeper shade of red than Tony thought possible.

 

But Tony’s just getting started. He goes back to the bedroom and flops onto the bed. He gestures to the space beside him, indicating Peter should join him. “Hope you’re not tired yet. Because you and I are about to have a long talk. Apparently you have a lot to learn about sex. Especially now that you’re out there doing it.”

 

“Oh, my God,” Peter groans miserably, closing his eyes in dismay. “Y’know, Mr. Stark, I-I _did_ learn a lot about this in school, even if I did mess up with my girlfriend. That was just a lapse on my part. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

 

“No way, kid. Based on our little chat tonight, it sounds to me like you’ve barely scratched the surface. I want to find out exactly what you know _and_ don’t know, so we can fill in the gaps. Plus you’re obviously pretty uncomfortable talking about this stuff, and that’s not going to help you down the line. If you can’t talk about it, you shouldn’t be doing it.” He reaches for his StarkPad and points more forcefully at the space beside him. “Get your spider butt over here.”

 

Peter drags his feet over to Tony’s bed and reluctantly sits beside him.

 

“Lesson one,” Tony says with relish. “Talking to your partner about contraception! How to avoid any more ‘spur-of-the-moment’ situations.”

 

Peter silently implores a wormhole to open up above the bed and swallow him whole.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I was a bit nervous about posting this one at first, worried that readers would come at me for making Tony HIV-positive. But then I thought, hey, screw HIV stigma. Anyway, scream at me in the comments, I love comments.


End file.
